Pelikan M205 - A Classic

[visvamitra]

Pelikan is one of the few companies manufacturing fountain pens known to a lot of people outside our little fountain pen aficionados world. Even folks whose knowledge of the fountain pens is limited to the direction in which to point the nib, had a chance to hear about Pelican and maybe even see one with their own eyes.

 

This is because the company promotes its products very skillfully and sensitively and applied reasonable segmentation to their portfolio: school articles, youth writing, premium products. I have a feeling that most fountain pen makers know little about their customers and aren’t really interested in understanding market and their consumers needs (even companies as Lamy – take a look at limiting access to bottled ink because they don’t know there’s interest in them in Europe, Lamy being surprised by amazing success of Dark Lilac color etc). Pelikan is active in social media, initiates a great event allowing company’s meet fans to meet (Pelican HUB), organizes competitions allowing consumers to choose next Ink of the year color. to sympathizers of the brand to choose the color the next ink series Edelstein. I believe only TWSBI tries to engage consumers in such a way, but they work on much smaller scale.

 

Of course, there’s nothing perfect in the world. Pelican doesn’t offer too many innovations. They don’t experiment with the neebs (where’s titanium? where’s flex?). It seems their development strategy is based on the customers ready to pay a lot of money for new color variants of old models. Can you blame them? Probably not. They deserve their position on the market.

Pelikan M205

M205 is, basically, the Pelikan M200 without golden accents. Not everyone likes golden trim and Pelican decided that it is worth to offer an alternative for such individuals. Thank you Pelican. I appreciate it. I would never buy one of your GT pens because I sincerily dislike golden accents (with small exception made for amber Pilot Namiki 823). Anyway Pelikan M200 was introduced on the market in 1985. The pen went through some changes over the years, but remains faithful to the tradition and its design remains almost unchanged.

Impressions / observations

Pelican M205 is elegant pen. The same can be said about packaging – a hard box inside a white Pelikan sleeve. Inside the box we’ll find the cream false leather pouch with plastic seals that hold the pen. Underneath the bed Pelikan placed warranty booklet. While it’s not the best box I’ve ever seen I think it’s well done and quite classy. As for the pen itself, well, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Pelikan pens design. I like to try new things, which is why I bought this pen. A lot of people are impressed with it, so I thought that it would be reasonable to check it myself. After some time of Rusing M205 I can see a lot of the strengths of this model, but its appearance still doesn’t convince me. I find it rather boring.

The pen is quite small and light, which isn’t bad, especially when you write fast and for a longer time. Chrome-plated elements (ring, clip, end tags) blend nicely with black body.

 

The Pelikan logo on the top of the cap is hard to miss. While I really like animals and animal motives I never really liked Pelikan logo. It didnt change. This one is printed with some silver coating and depicts two Pelikans, maybe mother a child, maybe not. I wonder whether the logo stays intact in heavily used pens or if it fades with time? Anyone care to share their experience?

The traditional pelican's beak clip is strong and works well, it has a nice swoop at the business end, and it's very easy to clip the pen to a case, pocket, bag, whatever comes to your mind.

Another feature of the Pelikan M205 is the translucent ink window just beyond the threads in the body of the pen. The smoke colored window looks really nice on black and glossy barrel. In my opinion it does enhance the look of the pen and is functional.

I don't think Pelikan M205 can be used as every day pocket pen - I may be wrong but the material doesn't make impression of being veryresistant. I guess Kaweco Al - Sport can be sure it won't last the place in my pocket.

Nib

Steel medium sized nib gives some feedback but I was lucky – it feels really smooth. I remember that when I bought Pelikan M406 I needed to change the nib three times before I received fully working one (one had babuy-botton, second was misaligned and scratchy). In theory it shoul be on the broader side of medium but it’s not really my experience. It’s rather fine medium nib. The flow is great and I enjoy wet line.

Filling System

Inking up the pen couldn't be simpler— turn the piston knob counterclockwise to push the internal piston in, dip the nib in a bottle of ink, and then turn the piston knob clockwise to pull the piston back and ink into the pen. What to do when you have a sample or there's not much ink left in the bottle? Use syringe

 

The piston mechanism is smooth and works perfectly well. It can contain around 1,4 ml of ink.

Summary

Pelican M205 is not really a cheap pen - in Poland it costs around 110 dollars. It offers quite a lot - good ergonomics, piston filling system, proven design. On the other hand, I don’t think that this birdie is much better than much cheaper TWSBI 580. Personally, I prefer to write with TWSBI, mainly because it’s larger and more comfortable for me. Also it’s reasonable to rememeber that it’s possible to buy Pilot CH 92 for this price (maybe 10 – 15 $ more) and compared to Pilot, Pelikan feels cheap.

Basically it’s good pen but I’m not in love with the design and the section this “lip” around the section near the nib annoys me – I usually hold pens very close to the nib. The price is too high. This pen isn’t, in my opinion worth, it’s regular price. Maybe if I really loved the design I would say something else, but for me this design isn't particularly thrilling.

[mehandiratta]

Thank you for the detailed review

[Old_Inkyhand]

I prefer M215, it is a tad heavier and I don't really fancy light pens. The only really light pen which I like is my NOS Parker Frontier.

 

EDIT: Where are my manners. Thank you, the review is great as always

Edited July 9, 2016 by Old_Inkyhand

[Prithwijit]

Hi Visvamitra,

 

Thank you for sharing such a nice review. Personally, I have never warmed up to the charms of a M20x, but I can appreciate the fan following it has in the market.

 

Here's wishing you many years of satisfying writing experience with the pen.

 

Regards,

 

Prithwijit

[JonW]

Nice review. I have 3 Pelikans (205 demonstrator, 215, 400), each of which I really like. My M215 is my favorite of all the pens that I have, even above more expensive ones. But...

 

I never realized that the clip is a Pelican (Pelikan?) beak until your review! Now I totally see it. Thanks for that insight!

[sannidh]

Lovely review visvamitra, actually more beautiful than the pen itself

Totally agree with your comparison with CH92 and high price points for a steel nib. The piston is the only thing that's perhaps one notch higher than others.

[carlos.q]

Thank you for this review. I have a Toledo red M205 with a fine nib and it has served me well as an EDC pen for more than a year. The fact that it is a light pen makes it perfect to clip to a shirt pocket and for long writing sessions.

 

The springy steel nib is really nice and smooth but it has one drawback: once you use it you will find modern Pelikan gold nibs to be a bit bland.

[savingbirds]

Thanks for your review!

 

Addressing your concern about durability, I personally wouldn't worry too much about it. I carried a pair of M200s as notetaking pens (one in blue marble w/ F, and other in green marble w/ M) for quite a few years and while both were coated with microscratches, I did not see any cracks on the barrel nor cap. I can't say the same for my Pilot Custom 74 nor my TWSBI Diamond 540, which both developed cracking at the cap.

 

I do agree that Pelikans are a bit pricey compared to the market right now. Personally, I would love it if they released an M800-sized pen with a steel nib and brass (or even aluminum to cut costs) piston for about $300 MSRP.

 

I don't regret any of my Pelikan purchases, as I bought the majority of them before the two (or three?) recent price hikes; however, the rising price tags are making it harder and harder for me to recommend Pelikans to other people.

[PaperDarts]

Thanks for your review and the great photos. I have two M205 demonstrators (blue and amethyst) and they're in constant use. They're the perfect size to clip into the leather holder for my agenda and don't seem to have suffered from being carried around every day, albeit protected by the leather holder. I like the steel nibs (F and EF) and the ink capacity too. I think I'll resist the new aquamarine demonstrator coming out...maybe...

[Thunderpants]

The yellow transparent M205, which comes with a double broad nib, is my current favourite. I don't often think of pens as "fun" but that big fat juicy nib is one of the most pleasant ways yet invented of putting gallons of ink onto paper. Not great for writing in tiny notebooks, but awesome for scribbles, drawing, signing letters. When the motorcyclist Guy Martin did a TV show about rebuilding a Spitfire, he looked at its fuel efficiency - 1 gallon / minute - and said "You couldn't pour it out quicker, could you?!" - the BB M205 is similarly thirsty!

As for the rest of the pen - my first impressions were the same as yours. Kind of expensive, for a plastic tube with a plunger inside. But hey, it's a delight to use, and that's what counts. I've just ordered a 2016 blue demonstrator with a fine nib - for the times when I want to fit more than two words onto a line of a notebook...

[Sagarb]

Brilliant review, as always..

[Tom Kellie]

~ visvamitra:

 

Thank you for a helpful review.

The images are especially pleasing.

Tom K.

[senzen]

This a good summary, I can finally give an opinion, after my old m400 which turned out to be an old style m600 (18k) nib I got a clear blue m205 used for about half price and a clear m205 at full price. I thought the clear one would be a grail pen but it's the blue one I find stunning. What makes it a superior product for me?

 

1. Reliability. Need to go to a meeting or travel and have a pen that will not fail? Pelikan. I considered TWSBI but after a few horror stories moved along.
2. Comfortable. Want a pen that you can write for hours without discomfort? Pelikan. I would prefer a larger pen but I am not willing to pay two or three times an already high price.
3. Nice nibs.
4. I love being able to check the ink level without having to open the pen; and look at it sloshing around.

 

This makes them pens I reach for and use more than others, which is my bottom line. Because I care a lot about how ink comes out, I've had to hack them a little with some clear cellophane between the feed and nib, but this isn't a defect, just an obsession of mine; this way with fine nibs I get a medium Kon Peki and less dark Verdigris, which I would only be able to get with EF lamy Studios without any hacks. Perhaps EF nibs would allow me to write with them as they are. This qualifies them as "wetter" pens in my mind. By comparison the m600 made Asa Gao shade a lot, which I grew tired of, but somehow manages a consistent line with Hisoku, which is a pretty particular (very dry??) ink.

 

The m600 can feel smoother but it's also a pen that demands to be used, otherwise it can feel a little weird (like it clings to paper), all three seem to behave differently according to the paper, in particular they don't seem to like Fabriano Traccia but get on fine with lesser and better paper.

 

As much as I enjoy using my other 26ish pens, mainly because that means I can use another 26ish colours, if you twisted my arm I'd have to say Pelikans are my favorite pens, I don't like all their finishes but some still manage to make drool, like Olivine.

[dan in montreal]

Thanks for the review. It's a nice timeless design. I've been wanting one, but the price seems a little steep for a steel nib. Still, if it's as solid and durable as Carlos.q and Songyi have stated, it will remain on my list.

[physicsprof]

Thanks for your review. I have a couple of M205 pens and I think they are great pens for the money. You can find the M205 for around $115, which isn't the cheapest pen out there, but it isn't the most expensive steel nib pen either. The 205s are a little smaller than I like (I love my M805 more), but they have very nice steel nibs and they can easily swab with a different steel nib or a gold M400/M405 nib.

[Larrabeiti]

Thank you for the review, I enjoyed it. I had a Pelikan M200 some time ago and I sold it again because I found it smallish, so I agree with you on that.

I also sold an M400 with flex nib, I did not like the nib.

On the other hand, I have (and keep) a beautiful M400 that I kept, and that I use with Herbin Rouille d'Ancre, which is a very dry ink that I could not use on any other pen. The nib of my Pelikan is wetter than most.

 

But there is one sentence that surprised me in your review, when you say that the Pelikan looks cheap compared to a Pilot CH 92. I have a Pilot CH 912 and I also had (and sold) a 74. I was surprised by the cheap feel and look of their plastic. In contrast the Pelikans, even the ones I sold again, really felt like quality products. The finish, the not-too-glossy, not-brittle-look of their plastic.

 

I must also say that my three Pelikans were second hand and the Pilots new, so the price difference played rather in Pelikan's favour. But this means of course that I find Pelikans way too expensive and I do not consider buying a new Pelikan at their retail price.

 

Whenever I read so much praise on the internet over Pilot and Sailor pens, I am surprised again and again. It really does not match my experience. Maybe I'll open a new thread on that topic.

 

Mikel